October Issue 2013

LifeScan, part of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies, launched the One Touch Select Simple in Pakistan at the Dolmen City Mall as part of its ‘Aspire’ campaign, which seeks to educate and inspire people with diabetes to lead a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Introducing the product, Khaled Qureshi, Country Manager LifeScan Pakistan, informed the media gathering that One Touch Select Simple was created for the purpose of monitoring blood glucose regularly at home and “is designed to be used in three easy steps with high and low glucose level alerts.”

Ahmed Habiba (Marketing Manager LifeScan MEA) spoke at length about the ‘Aspire’ campaign as well as the One Touch Select Simple product. Habiba said that was unique about it was that the campaign introduced the 4 Cs concept aimed at simplifying diabetes education: Check blood sugar regularly, control the highs and lows of glucose levels, consume healthy food and care for yourself by exercising and adopting a healthy lifestyle.”

Actress Zeba Bakhtiar, who has been a diabetes patient for the past 20 years, is the face of the ‘Aspire’ campaign in Pakistan. Draped in a red ajrak, Bakhtiar arrived fashionably late to the conference due to ‘traffic hold-ups.’ But immediately upon arrival, she grabbed the attention of the media and star-struck mall-goers. She told the audience that diabetes was not a “sickness” but a “condition,” and that it was important that a person suffering from diabetes not remain undiagnosed. She added: “Being diagnosed as an insulin-dependent some 20 years ago, I have learnt to organise my life according to my health requirements. I have joined hands with Lifescan to share my knowledge with people who face the challenges that I did.”